The growth of the amusement industry has led to the development of a wide variety of rides designed for children and adults. Among the wide variety of rides, one of the historically more prevalent types is the carousel, in which carriages that may seat one or more passengers revolve around a central axial unit. Originally, the passenger carriages were designed to resemble horses or coaches, but over time, carousels have been updated to include carriages designed to imitate modern vehicles, such as automobiles. Among the more common of the automobile designs is the ‘dune buggy’, popular with children.
One of the main limitations of the typical carousel ride is the monotonous quality of its passenger motion. The passenger simply revolves around the central unit, usually at a constant speed, with rather stilted lateral and vertical motion. This lack of versatility has, over time, made the typical carousel ride a less attractive ride in comparison to other ride types introduced to amusement parks.